President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has weighed in on the backlash trailing the recent hike in passport application fees by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
In a post on X, Ajayi argued that the increment only formalizes what many Nigerians already pay through unofficial channels. According to him, citizens have long been forced to part with huge sums in bribes to speed up passport processing, often paying even more than the new official rates.
The NIS had announced on Thursday, August 28, that starting September 1, 2025, the cost of a 32-page passport with five-year validity would rise to ₦100,000, while a 64-page passport valid for 10 years would cost ₦200,000. The adjustment, however, applies strictly to applications filed within Nigeria, while the cost for passports obtained abroad will remain at $150 and $230, respectively.
Explaining the rationale, the Immigration Service said the upward review was aimed at protecting the quality and credibility of the Nigerian passport.
But the decision has drawn fierce criticism from the public, with opposition voices such as Peter Obi describing the policy as insensitive. Obi, in a strongly worded statement on X, said:
“This administration’s obsession with piling more burden on struggling Nigerians is alarming. The international passport fee has been raised to ₦100,000 for 32 pages and ₦200,000 for 64 pages—this is the third increase in two years. In a nation where the minimum wage is ₦70,000, a single passport now costs more than a month’s salary.”
In response to the outrage, Ajayi maintained that the revision simply channels money into government revenue rather than into private pockets. “The reality is that Nigerians have always paid more than ₦100k and ₦200k in bribes to get their passports quickly. The difference now is that the same amount will go to government coffers for express services, not to corrupt officials,” he wrote.
